Ethic Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 40.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,662 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,426 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 33,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,009,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 1,872,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $228,723,000 after buying an additional 37,470 shares during the period. Circle Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,034 shares of the company's stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 472,107 shares of the company's stock worth $56,818,000 after purchasing an additional 9,645 shares during the period. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $513,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on PM. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $166.33.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 2.8%

PM traded up $4.60 during trading on Thursday, hitting $168.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,931,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,589,955. The firm has a market cap of $262.48 billion, a PE ratio of 37.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $98.93 and a one year high of $176.49. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $159.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.73.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Philip Morris International Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.